Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-25
than by the following passage from Sir
Walter Sc.tt's "hemion:n


That only night in all the year,
nw the stoled priest the thaiice rear.
Then opeO ed wide tne baron's hall,
L vassal, tenant, serf AID all
Power laid his 70 of rule aside,
And ceremony dotted his pride
| The heir with roses in his shoes,
mat light might village partner choose.
i Al h lied, with uncontro lie delight
| And neral voice, the happy night
| I hat 20 The cottage, IS the crown,
Brought tidiDgs of salvation own.
| England wss merry Ell gland when
| Old hri-tmas brought ais sports again.
| twas Christmas ewed the mightiest ale,
! '1was ( hris mas told the merriest .ale.
/ a Chr. i'm IS gambol of would cheer
! poor n ans heart through half the year"
The custom of giving presents on
Christmas, now so universally observed,
| is derived from the Cd Roman Saturnalia
OF feast OF Saturn above mentioned, at
which il YVES customary for sll the mem
ours OF household 10 Cffer gifts TO each
other, and is not tracesble, IS has been
sometimes stated, TO the New Testament
account of how kings and wise men made
rich offerings to the infant Jesus. For
the Chris mas tree we are ndebted to the
ancient Germans, who. during the con-
tinuance of their great feast Of the winter
solstice, already described, hung large
yew trees with rude gifts, decorations
aud lights. From them, too, come Santa
Claus, Kris Krinkle, KNIGHT Rupert and
the many other fabulous personages
charged with the duty of bringing gifts
TO good children, as does also the beauti-
ful fable that suca offerings are brought
directly by the sweet hands of the lovia e
"Christ child"-the infant Jesus himself.
In the primitive church, Christmas day
was preceded by an Eve or vigil, ana
hence our Christmas eve Of the present
time, which in the association that clus-
ter around it, in TIE sports and pastimes,
it's ancient memories and even In its de-
votions has ever been in al ages second
only to Christmas itself. OGe beautiful
observance of Christmas eve, having 8
heather origin, is the decorating OF
churches snd dwellings with evergreen,
holly, laurel, bays and mistleroe, being G
parpetuat on CT custom Of the old
british Druids, whose belief it was that
kindly sylvan spirits sought these orna-
ments of living green and lowered near
them, untouched and unframed by nip
ping frost, until the death of winter. In
the old church calendar appointed after
the universal adoption of December 25.
as Christmas, the eve Of that day is
marked "empls exomsntue," Cet the
temples be adorned.)
To The mIsrletoe, faVorite Dough for
| Christmas decoration, there has attached,
from time immemorial, traditioDsrY
"kssing right" that is popularity consid-
cred as inViolable as any secured to Eng
lishmen by Magma Cnarta. Any male
who, during the Christmas season, Can
catch q female under sprig Of mistletoe,
is entitled to kiss Whlcn tue dsmsel-be
she maid, wife or WIDOWS in honor
| bound TO accord him without resistarc &c
OF remonstrance of any kind.
Ga Christmas Eve in all parts Of Italy
the people play upon instruments and
sing before the shrines Of the Blessed
VI gin Mother with the poetiCal idea Of
chez ing her through the psDgs Of mater
nifty. In Great Britain and on the CONT
nenC Of Europe the church bells ring out
their loudest and sweetest, while from a
tradition that the Saviour CAME into the
world ST midnight, there is celebrated,
pure -uslly at thsg hour high mass Of
! the erendest, most imposing character
In Spain, Ilsly and France peCially, the
ufcnes ale magDitcsntly decorated and
after Inc midnight mass collation. is
served to those who Fave spent Christ
mas Eve in this plous work CT adorGment.
0-e IF the oldest customs Of Christmas
Eve and one that is still observed III tue
no-5a of England is that Of placing on the
p lncIpal IRE Of every household g great
! log of wood, called the yuIt-clog or
! Christmas block, where II IS supposed to
illuminate the whole house aud in every
part Of it to turn night into DAY. The
yule-Clogs that burned Ia the vast balls of
| he old English feudal barons of the mid
die ages were huge trees and we are told
that even just before the last century the
| oh cd
ing near Shire Wsbury, WAS totally de-
stroyed by fire in conse Quence OF too
large yule-log having ueen lighted on
his hesrlhstone. When the yule-
clog is not all consumed before dawn,
burns on into the light of Christmas day,
| its ashes are carefully preserved until the
Ii, Christmas eve, and are believed to
bring good health and fortune to all the
household, but should they be scattered
s d lost, death and misfortune are sure
! 10 follow.
The origin Of the yule clog is doubtless
| TO be found ia the fact that in the West
ern or Latin churca, Christmas was called
the Feast of Lis2ts, both be cause many
| lights or CANOES were used in its cele
oratioD, and q cause Christ, whose birth
| il Communicated, Was 10 become the
! light of the word, and as the yule clog
| dates far back beyond the use of candles
/ bY many nations Who had embraced
Christianity, it was probably used as a
! primitive euosli uJe. The Sax rs called
their pTilc' pal feast Jul or Yut, nd hence
came 30 apply the same terms to
the log hich On that grea OCCASION AID
SUBS q lenuy when it had been t!aos-
/ formed INTO Christmas, gave az olce their
| pr opal fire and their principal light.
| Pto1aoly one Of the most general y
known Of the old Christmas observauC es
~ " To the givir G OF presents is tAe sing
Ing Of Christmas carols. These Were
| pIuus can lcies designed to r. place the
rlosld songs of the ola heathen festivals,
aad the custom Of 'chilurer, and even
groTn people, going aoC ut FROM b use
mouse and singing them aG the door On
| CHRISTMAS eve and being rewarded with
! Chnstmas cheer and Christmas sper ding
money, i3 maintained in many parts OF
E lglsnd st the present day. Many collec-
tons of these quaint medieval carols
| We're made from um3 TO time, but OF the
uldes If sucl collections but one sheet
remains, snd II con airs only two. IL is
clre1uliy preserved IN the Bcdleisn
library st Oxford, as is also
collection Of "Christmasse
Ksries," published by Wynkin de Worde
| IN 1881. Lister collections Of these old
CHRISTMAS HYMNS of various nations have
been published in our own century. O1e